Lesson #3 - A common Little Known Cause Of Chronic
Disease And Premature Aging
(Approximately a 2.5 min read)
Remember when I mentioned brown spots were an external (cosmetic) sign of the accumulation of PUFA in the body?
Well, the other thing that contributes to the formation of brown spots, due to its interaction with PUFA, and to diseases related to premature aging, is iron.
In fact, the interaction of iron with PUFA to make brown spots, even internally, is similar to the interaction between iron and moisture to form rust. Both involve oxidative damage. Can you see the visual similarities?
However, the danger iron presents to men and women, the young and the old, is not similar.
The notion that iron may contribute to disease and aging may be strange to anyone familiar with its role in human health and the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, which requires supplementation with iron to heal anemia, and so I will clarify this.
Iron’s roles in health and its requirements
Iron is important for our health as an essential component of proteins and enzymes that support essential biological functions. It is an important part of hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs, through the blood, and to all the cells (for energy production). It is also involved in the construction of DNA. It seems to be more crucial for kids for growth and development, and its importance seems to decrease as we get older, as you’ll soon understand.
Iron’s roles in health and its requirements
Iron is important for our health as an essential component of proteins and enzymes that support essential biological functions. It is an important part of hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen from the lungs, through the blood, and to all the cells (for energy production). It is also involved in the construction of DNA. It seems to be more
crucial for kids for growth and development, and its importance seems to decrease as we get older, as you’ll soon understand.
While women absorb three times more iron than men, they lose some monthly through menstruation. Sometimes, iron deficiency anemia is caused by excessive bleeding during menstruation. In other cases, some people lose iron when the gastrointestinal (GI) tract bleeds if they have inflammatory GI conditions. If too much iron is lost, iron deficiency anemia may develop.
Other times, anemia may present without excessive bleeding. Two little-known causes of anemia, which presents as iron deficiency, are low thyroid function and low copper levels.
In fact, low thyroid function may be associated with excessive blood loss during menstruation. In the last three examples, prolonged supplementation of iron, as opposed to addressing the thyroid, copper levels, or any underlying GI inflammatory conditions may do more harm than good.
Research has shown that some populations may have sufficient iron and still have anemia, confirmed by low red blood cell count, low ferritin (a protein that transports iron) and low hemoglobin levels, while other populations may have low iron levels, but no lab markers or symptoms of anemia. Good thyroid function, good liver health copper sufficiency, no inflammation are some factors that help prevent anemia, even in the presence of low iron levels.
The problem with iron
Iron tends to accumulate continuously in the cells of the body, and it is very hard to remove excess iron. Women absorb 3 times more iron than men, while men store 4.6 times more iron than women. By age 65, long after women stop menstruating, men and women have the same amount of stored iron.
The problem with accumulation of iron in cells is that it, like PUFA, causes free radical damage in cells, causing them to age more quickly and function less optimally. Excess iron can be responsible for heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses that PUFA may also cause.
How to prevent and address excess iron
When there is anemia, it is advisable to work with a health practitioner to assist in determining the cause of the anemia and address that cause, in order to minimize the requirement for supplementation.
It is a good idea to limit the intake of dietary iron if its excess is suspected or is a concern.
The most common sources of iron in the Western diet are beef and baked goods that are made from commercially available flour since they are enriched with iron. This includes things such as breads and cereals. Scrutinize food labels of all baked goods to detect the amount of iron they provide and the amount you will consume.
Vitamin E protects against potential harm from iron.
Those who have excess iron (a condition known as hemochromatosis) and need to reduce iron levels may find some success with donating blood. You could also speak to your healthcare provider about IP6 (inositol 6 Phosphate) supplementation, a substance that binds iron, and ultimately get help to find out what causes the excess iron.
Because iron accumulates in the cells over time, older adults may have excess iron even when conditions such as hemochromatosis don’t exist.
While the role of iron in chronic disease and aging is not know to most people, now that YOU are aware of this, it is important to be vigilant of iron intake and its accumulation in the body. Again, the most common clue for excess iron in the body is brown spots, as well as other brown formations, such as skin tags, something that is not uncommon.
